Desert Duck

Yikes... that's some out of control frustration right there. Who knew that our coaches nearly required a police escort just to get out of the elevator. On a positive note, these fans make us folks around here look downright tame and calm 😄

If Dante returns, I think we win some more games. Heck... we might even be very surprised by the response and outcome we see from this group of kids. However, I also really fear for Dante. This concussion stuff (aka. brain damage) is serious business. I'm hoping our boys can provide him with the protection needed, and I'm hoping that the psychological impact of that hit doesn't carry over onto the field. I have to remind myself that we still have the pieces required to play some really good ball.

When I said "little bit of time," I should have provided some definition for that. I'd say that Dan has at least through 2027 to get our program back on track. And, assuming that he is willing to learn from his mistakes -- which it appears that he does, he will definitely turn things back around. My humble prediction is that Lanning will end up going down in Oregon football history as a Football God.

After 55 years of Oregon football, and actually having sat through the entire Toilet Bowl, yeah... some of us definitely remember. And I also remember in 1989 having to beg, borrow, and steal just to get into the low-level Independence Bowl (while about half the state blew up the fax machine at Independence Bowl headquarters pleading to let us in). And when we found out we were going, after about a 152 year bowl drought, just getting in almost felt like we had won the Super Bowl. And I never ever want to see anything like those God forsaken football decades again. For better or for worse, we are now a program where the expectation is pretty much that we are Top-15 competitive, competing for a playoff spot, and, perhaps one day, a national championship. So, when everybody's expectations were so high, to see the reality that's happening, is beyond shocking. However, today's move with the termination of our OC, should be a nice start back in the right direction. But please, pardon me if, after 55 years, I stick around a little bit longer just to see how this plays out 😄.

Okay... but while accurate, he does seem to be enjoying writing this piece a bit more than I would prefer. Except for the fact that Dan didn't actually do a literal belly flop off of a high dive, I cannot think of one FBS team that has done a greater face plant this year than our beloved Ducks. While the hyperbole is a bit much, the facts are sadly rather accurate. Fortunately, the repair work has begun, and the search for a new OC is underway.

Pardon me for asking, but did you read it? If you did, I'm wondering which part(s) you so strongly disagree with?

I have no idea if this guy is a hater or not. But I'm wondering what you think he says is hateful and/or inaccurate? I think he provides a rather accurate assessment of where we are. We can choose to bury our heads in the sand, and see where that takes us. Or, take a stone cold look at reality and begin to make the tough decisions to turn this program back around. As we did today, starting with the firing of our OC.

I agree with you. Good coaches absolutely must hire great coaches. Dan had both Dillingham and then Stein. These guys did some great stuff. With the right coaching staff around him, Lanning is a good coach. Whether or not he has the stuff it takes to become a great coach, definitely remains to be seen.

USA Today: Oregon is College Football’s Biggest Fraud. Dan Lanning Owns This Mess Ouch... talk about a painful read... painful, but IMHO, mostly accurate. Sadly, this is more than likely just the beginning as it's going to take a while to turn our badly listing ship around. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/10/25/oregon-ducks-football-dan-lanning-will-stein-offensive-coordinator-flop-disappointment/92330820007/

Stone, cold, brutal... and yet, both well deserved and hilarious.

Lanning doesn't have anywhere near a 'clean slate' right now. However, he did buy himself a little bit of time, and he now has the opportunity to show everybody if he has the right stuff to turn this thing around.

As OC at Ohio State, and now Northwestern, Chip appears to have found his place and groove. Hopefully, he has finally learned, that he is just not a head coach... with the one, "lightning in a bottle," exception at Oregon. But damn... he got us so close.

At this point, I absolutely agree. Let's see if Dan can learn, get his ego in check a bit, make better hiring decisions, and turn this listing ship around.

I just looked it up, and in his 2 years as OC at alabama, in his first season they won the national championship, and in his second season as OC they were runner-up. That doesn't exactly suck. And I like that he took over head coach at Maryland when that place was a total and absolute crap storm disaster. He stabilized the program. Got them into some Bowl games. And, along the way, learned that the head coaching role is not for him. I really know very very little about him. But I love the fact that he has no desire to be a head coach. It's great when people have enough maturity to know where their strengths are and know where their skills and abilities are best utilized. At a minimum, he appears to be somebody definitely worth taking a look at.

I'm not so sure about that, Solar. If we continue losing, which at this point looks more likely than not, we are unfortunately going to turn into an incredibly fascinating story and tremendous cautionary tale. There are so many interesting angles with the team, beginning with the many 'experts' predicting that we would win the national championship this year, all the flash, marketing, tremendous amounts of money, NIL impact, ego, Nike, etc, etc. I'm a bit afraid we may have the makings of a new, upcoming, Michael Lewis best seller.

I don't have any idea if this guy can actually coach, but after reading the following, I'm already half in love with this guy: Locksley speaking: "I said, 'Jim (the AD), I understand, and if you have to do what you need to do, I care more about Maryland and these kids than my ego,'" Locksley said. "But what I won't do is resign. But we can talk and figure out how to let the pressure off of everybody because I care more about Maryland."

Moneyball Scott Hatteberg: [Responding to being asked to play first base] I've only ever played catcher. Billy Beane: It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash. Ron Washington: It's incredibly hard. "It's incredibly hard." When 'someone' came up with the idea of hiring a TE coach to be our QB coach (with no prior specialized QB coaching experience), I feel like there should have been a conversation at Oregon that ended with: "It's incredibly hard... and Coach, this idea sucks." And I don't care that he played QB in college. Coaching the game, and playing the game, are often worlds apart, requiring different talents and gifts.

"Either he has assembled an offensive unit of fake 4/5 star players or he has assembled a fake offensive coaching staff." Exactly. There's only Door #1, or Door #2. There is no Monty Hall (just to show my age there) offering a Door #3.

As Ducks, I'm afraid that the closest Phil, and likely even me, will ever get to the National Football Championship, is when we lost to Auburn in heartbreaking fashion in 2011. That one still stings.

I sure hope that Dante "You're Lovin' Me Now" Moore is healthy enough to return next Saturday.

And to think that I used to make snarky comments about Mario.

If Dante does not return next week relatively healthy, I hate to say it, but I think this team has a decent chance of going 1-4 down the stretch. And I have got to think that, at this point, Dante redshirting is a reasonable option for him. At this point, I don't even know if the portal is off limits for him.

I've been saying that once again, I willingly, eyes wide open, drank the kool-aid. Heck... I pretty much guzzled it. I am Charlie Brown, and this program is Lucy holding the football. I bite every time.

So, this is apparently what we get for $50 mil.

Part of me hopes were not. I don't think I could bear to watch us play a crap game like this in a bowl game.